U.S. patent number 8,402,372 [Application Number 12/777,895] was granted by the patent office on 2013-03-19 for touch screen with user interface enhancement.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Synaptics Incorporated. The grantee listed for this patent is David W. Gillespie, Leslie R. Grate, Andrew C. Hsu, Raymond A. Trent. Invention is credited to David W. Gillespie, Leslie R. Grate, Andrew C. Hsu, Raymond A. Trent.
United States Patent |
8,402,372 |
Gillespie , et al. |
March 19, 2013 |
Touch screen with user interface enhancement
Abstract
The present invention is a graphical user interface in a
computing device having a processor running an operating system and
a display. The graphical user interface comprises a touch screen
and a driver coupling the touch screen to the operating system. The
driver can display a plurality of icons on the touch screen, or a
plurality of screen images having at least one icon, with each of
the icons associated with operations on the display and/or the
touch screen. Other embodiments include the touch screen having
unactivated and activated states, as well as the presence of an
application programming interface that enables an application to
display at least one image on the touch screen.
Inventors: |
Gillespie; David W. (Los Gatos,
CA), Trent; Raymond A. (San Jose, CA), Hsu; Andrew C.
(Belmont, CA), Grate; Leslie R. (Waltham, MA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Gillespie; David W.
Trent; Raymond A.
Hsu; Andrew C.
Grate; Leslie R. |
Los Gatos
San Jose
Belmont
Waltham |
CA
CA
CA
MA |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Synaptics Incorporated (Santa
Clara, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
26823235 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/777,895 |
Filed: |
May 11, 2010 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20100275033 A1 |
Oct 28, 2010 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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10125066 |
Apr 17, 2002 |
7730401 |
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60291694 |
May 16, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/702; 715/860;
715/862; 715/861; 715/767; 345/156; 715/859; 345/174; 715/857;
715/764; 345/157; 345/175; 715/858; 715/856; 345/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
3/0488 (20130101); G06F 3/0481 (20130101); G06F
3/04817 (20130101); A63F 2300/1075 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
3/01 (20060101); G06F 3/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;715/702,764,767,856,857,858,859,860,861,862
;345/156,157,173,174,175 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
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Primary Examiner: Theriault; Steven B
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ingrassia Fisher & Lorenz
P.C.
Parent Case Text
PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/125,066,
filed Apr. 17, 2002 and claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/291,694, filed on May 16, 2001, both of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computing system comprising: a body; a central processor
configured for running applications for the computing system; and a
touch screen integrated in the body, the touch screen comprising: a
display screen; a touch sensor configured to sense user input over
the display screen; and a controller communicatively coupled to the
central processor, the controller configured to: operate in a first
mode wherein the controller drives the touch sensor to sense the
user input and provides information about the user input to the
central processor for interacting with a software application
running on the central processor; and operate in a second mode
wherein the controller provides a security interlock to validate a
user's identity independently from the central processor, and
further wherein the controller is configured to switch to the first
mode in response to a validation of the user's identity.
2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is
configured to operate in the second mode by: running software for
managing the security interlock.
3. The computing system of claim 1 further comprising a peripheral
controller, wherein the controller is configured to communicate
with the peripheral controller to provide the security
interlock.
4. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the peripheral
controller is further configured to manage another peripheral of
the computing system.
5. The computing system of claim 3 wherein the peripheral
controller is further configured for power management of the
computing system.
6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is
further configured, when operating in the second mode, to validate
a user's identity by: displaying a keypad on the display screen
independently from the central processor; and detecting personal
identification input on the keypad using the touch sensor
independently from the central processor.
7. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is
further configured, when operating in the second mode, to validate
a user's identity by: detecting input that includes a signature
using the touch sensor independently from the central processor;
and evaluating the signature independently from the central
processor.
8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is
further configured to validate a user's identity by evaluating
biometric information independently from the central processor.
9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the controller is
configured to provide the security interlock independently from the
central processor by: storing a decryption key for controlling
access.
10. A method of implementing a security interlock in a computing
system comprising a body, a central processor configured for
running applications for the computing system, a controller
communicatively coupled to the central processor, and a touch
screen integrated in the body, the method comprising: operating the
controller in a first mode to drive the touch screen to sense user
input and provide information about the user input to the central
processor; and operating the controller in a second mode to provide
a security interlock to validate a user's identity, comprising the
steps of: operating the touch screen independently from the central
processor to present an image associated with the security
interlock; operating the touch screen independently from the
central processor to sense user input for authenticating a user
using the touch screen; operating the touch screen independent from
the central processor to determine an authentication status of the
user based on the user input; and allowing access to the central
processor by powering the central processor in response to a
validation of the authentication status of the user; wherein the
controller is configured to switch to the first mode in response to
a validation of the user's identity.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the allowing access to the
central processor comprises: allowing user access to the central
processor using an interface peripheral.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein the allowing access to the
central processor in response to the validation of the
authentication status of the user comprises: delivering a
decryption key.
13. A controller, the controller adapted to be coupled to a central
processor in a computing system having a touch sensor and a display
screen, the controller configured to: operate in a first mode where
the controller drives the touch sensor to sense user input over the
display screen and provides information about the user input to the
central processor for interacting with a software application
running on the central processor; and operate in a second mode
where the controller provides a security interlock to validate a
user's identity independently from the central processor, and
further wherein the controller is configured to switch to the first
mode in response to a validation of the user's identity.
14. The controller of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured
to operate in the second mode by: running software for managing the
security interlock.
15. The controller of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured
to operate in the second mode by: communicating with a peripheral
controller, wherein the peripheral controller manages the security
interlock.
16. The controller of claim 13 wherein the controller is further
configured, when operating in the second mode, to validate a user's
identity by: displaying a keypad on the display screen
independently from the central processor; and detecting personal
identification input on the keypad using the touch sensor
independently from the central processor.
17. The controller of claim 13 wherein the controller is further
configured, when operating in the second mode, to validate a user's
identity by: detecting input that includes a signature using the
touch sensor independently from the central processor; and
evaluating the signature independently from the central processor.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to computer interface devices, and
more particularly, to a computer touch pad with integrated display
device, and enhancements to the portable computer user interface
employing same.
Touch pads are widely used in computer applications, particularly
as pointing devices in portable computers. In typical usage, the
touch pad is a featureless, finger sensitive surface in a
rectangular opening of the palm rest of the computer. The touch pad
serves solely as an input device for the computer. The touch pad
functions primarily as a cursor pointing device, but some touch
pads offer additional functions.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,591 to Gillespie et al. discloses
a typical prior art touch pad sensor in which finger tapping
gestures in designated regions of the touch surface invoke special
commands on the computer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,052 to Allen et al.
discloses a touch pad in which finger motions in designated regions
invoke a scrolling command. These tap regions and scrolling regions
have proven useful to expert users but confusing to novice users as
the regions are invisible to the eye but different in behavior.
Marking the regions with screen-printed icons on the opaque sensor
surface can help, but it can also lead to greater confusion if the
regions are software configurable.
A further disadvantage of prior art touch pads is that they use up
a significant fraction of the surface area of the computer for a
single dedicated input function. Other pointing devices such as
isometric joysticks (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,596 to Selker
et al) and force sensing keys (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,577
to Straayer et al) have been proposed as compact alternatives, but
these devices are not as expressive or as easy to use as touch
pads.
Touch screens are also well known in the art. One example of a
touch screen is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,709 to Blair. In
typical use, the main display screen of a computer is overlaid with
or implemented as a touch sensitive input device. This eliminates
the need to dedicate separate parts of the surface of the computer
for input and output. If the touch screen serves as the main
pointing device of the computer, pointing is accomplished by a
direct mapping from finger position to selection of a point on the
screen beneath the finger. This direct mapping makes touch screens
easy to understand and use. However, touch screens are impractical
for everyday use as the main display of a computer because the
user's arm tires from being continuously held up to touch the
screen. If the touch screen is laid flat to avoid arm wear, the arm
tends to rest on the touch-sensing surface and, with many touch
sensing technologies, this disrupts the ability to sense the
finger. Touch screens the size of a main computer display may also
be prohibitively bulky or expensive for use in applications that do
not require them.
A transparent touch pad suitable for placement over a display such
as an LCD screen has been developed and is disclosed and claimed in
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/415,481, filed Oct.
8, 1999, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
This application discloses a touch screen having the small size and
low cost of a conventional touch pad for portable computers and
notes that the touch pad and display could be included in a
personal computer to enhance the user interface in various ways,
but it does not disclose details of the software implementation,
nor how such a device can simultaneously function as the pointing
device of the computer, nor how this arrangement enhances the user
interface.
SUMMARY
The drawbacks and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by
the touch screen with user interface enhancement.
The present invention discloses a graphical user interface in a
computing device having a processor running an operating system and
a display. The graphical user interface comprises a touch screen
and a driver coupling the touch screen to the operating system. The
driver displays a plurality of icons on the touch screen with at
least one of the icons identifying at least one region on the touch
screen that will cause an action on the display and not on the
touch screen in response to contact by an object on the region.
The present invention also discloses another embodiment of a
graphical user interface in a computing device having a processor
running an operating system and a display. The graphical user
interface comprises a touch screen, having an unactivated state and
an activated state, and a driver coupling the touch screen to the
operating system. The driver displays a plurality of icons on the
touch screen with at least one of the icons identifying at least
one region on the touch screen that will cause an action on the
display and not on the touch screen in response to contact by an
object on the region.
Lastly, the present invention discloses another embodiment of a
graphical user interface in a computing device having a processor
running an operating system and a display. The graphical user
interface comprises a touch screen and a driver coupling the touch
screen to the operating system. The driver displays a plurality of
icons on the touch screen with at least one of the icons
identifying at least one region on the touch screen that will cause
an action on the display and not on the touch screen in response to
contact by an object on the region. The driver has an application
programming interface that enables an application to display at
least one image on the touch screen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Referring now to the figures, wherein like elements are numbered
alike:
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a notebook computer system with main
display, keyboard, and touch screen;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an illustrative embodiment of a touch
screen in greater detail;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example default image for use
when the touch screen is operating as a conventional touch pad;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first "iconic"
usage mode of the touch screen;
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the touch screen image of FIG. 4
modified to indicate the activated state of the touch screen using
a dashed line around each icon that is touch-sensitive in the
activated state;
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a portion of the keyboard
featuring several keys;
FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating one possible arrangement of a
special touch sensitive region or second touch sensor could be
provided that activates the touch screen when touched;
FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating small icons that may be smaller
than a finger and may be completely obscured by the finger when the
finger touches them;
FIG. 7B through 7E illustrate several mechanisms to eliminate the
problem of obscuring small icons;
FIGS. 8A through 8D are diagrams illustrating use of a small
control panel on the touch screen associated with an application,
reserving the entire main display for visual data associated with
the application;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example use of the touch screen to
display subsidiary help text;
FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating employment of the touch screen
to display a find/replace dialog on the touch screen, leaving the
main display free to display a document unobstructed;
FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating use of the touch screen to act
as a joystick emulator while displaying the control layout
established by the game, leaving the main display free to display
game graphics unobstructed;
FIG. 10C is a diagram illustrating an example in which a touch
screen image includes icons drawn from a typical toolbar, leaving
the main display free to display document or an image
unobstructed;
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a pop-up image including various
icons representing commonly used tools and software applications on
the computer;
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a pop-up calculator application
that operates entirely within the touch screen;
FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating different features of a
magnifier as a pop-up image on a touch screen, leaving the main
display undisturbed;
FIG. 13C is a diagram illustrating a debugger implemented as a
pop-up application on a touch screen, providing a secondary
debugging display with no extra cost or bulk;
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ideographic
handwriting entry system on a touch screen in which a handwriting
entry area responds to finger touch to enter an ideographic
character;
FIG. 15A is a diagram illustrating use of a touch screen as a user
interface device for a computer security interlock;
FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary hardware
architecture for implementing the computer security interlock of
FIG. 15A; and
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary software
architecture for a touch screen.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following
description of the present invention is illustrative only and not
in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will
readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons.
FIG. 1 illustrates a notebook computer system 100 with main display
102 and keyboard 104. Touch screen 106 is mounted in palm rest 110.
The touch screen is typically equipped with left and right "mouse"
buttons 108. Touch screen 106 is integrated into computer system
100 in a similar way as a touch pad would be in a prior art
computer. Touch screen 106 will usually be located in the palm rest
as shown in FIG. 1, but other locations are equally applicable,
such as above the keyboard, adjacent to the keyboard or main
display, or located in a separate enclosure connected by cable or
wireless link to the computer. Although touch screen 106 usually
replaces the conventional touch pad of a computer, touch screen 106
could be introduced in addition to the other user interface devices
of the computer.
FIG. 2 illustrates an illustrative embodiment of touch screen 106
in greater detail. Touch screen assembly 200 consists of touch
sensor 202, display 204, and backlight 206 stacked or laminated
together. Touch screens can be built in a variety of alternative
ways as are well known in the art. For example, touch sensor 202
can be an active sensor employing capacitive, resistive, inductive,
or other methods, or it can be a passive surface on which touch
sensing is accomplished by optical, acoustic, or other methods.
Capacitive touch sensors are ideally suited for use in the present
invention due to their sensitivity, low cost, ruggedness, and
suitability to small sensing areas. However, any touch screen
technology would serve for the present invention.
Similarly, display 204 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD),
organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, electroluminescent
display, or any other type of small display suitable for mounting
in a portable computer. LCD displays are ideally suited for use in
the present invention due to their low cost and availability, but
other types of displays may be employed. Display 204 may be color
or monochrome, and need not have the same resolution, color
capabilities, or other qualities as the main display of the
computer.
The touch screen assembly may include a backlight 206 to enhance
readability in all lighting conditions. In alternative embodiments,
backlight 206 may be replaced by a frontlight, passive reflector,
or other light source, or it may be omitted altogether.
Touch screen assembly 200 may include additional layers or
components to assist the mounting or mechanical properties of the
touch screen or to integrate the touch screen with other components
of the computer system. The touch screen may also include hardened,
antireflective, textured, or other surface layers. The inclusion,
omission, or nature of these additional layers and components is
immaterial to the present invention.
Touch sensor 202 is connected to touch sensing controller 208. The
nature of controller 208 depends on the design of touch sensor 202
and its details are immaterial to the present invention. Likewise,
display 204 is connected to a suitable display controller 210, and
backlight 206, if present, is connected to backlight controller
212. Each of controllers 208, 210, and 212 communicate with host
computer 214. In an illustrative embodiment, controllers 208, 210,
and 212 are connected to a central touch screen controller 216 that
connects to host computer 214 by a single interface 218. Interface
218 may be a mouse interface such as PS/2, or a general purpose
peripheral interface such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB). USB
has the advantage of high bandwidth and wide availability. Any of
controllers 208, 210, 212, and 216 may be implemented as chips or
discrete components, combined onto fewer chips or one chip,
integrated with assembly 200, or combined with other functions of
host computer 214. Host computer 214 may be embodied in the central
processing unit of computer system 100, a peripheral processor such
as a USB host controller, or a combination thereof.
In an alternative illustrative embodiment, controllers 208, 210,
and 212 may connect to host computer 214 through different
interfaces. For example, touch screen controller 208 could connect
as a conventional touch pad using a PS/2 interface, while display
controller 210 and backlight controller 212 connect by USB or by a
specialized display interface.
Because touch screen 106 of FIG. 1 replaces a conventional touch
pad, touch screen 106 usually serves as a conventional pointing
device for the computer. For this reason, the touch screen must be
able to interface to the computer as a conventional mouse. This is
a further reason for interface 218 to be either a mouse interface
such as PS/2, or a general interface such as USB that includes
support for conventional mice. Interface 218 may also provide for
an alternate or extended interface protocol that allows for
additional information about finger activity to be communicated to
computer 214, and for computer 214 to control display 204 and
backlight 206. This additional finger activity information may
include the absolute location of the finger on the sensor surface.
When appropriate driver software is loaded onto computer 214, the
driver software can enable the alternate or extended interface
protocol to support the user interface enhancements of the present
invention. When other driver software, such as a conventional mouse
or touch pad driver, is loaded instead, interface 218 can revert to
mouse or touch pad compatibility using touch sensor 202 as a
conventional touch pad, and controller 210 or 216 can operate the
display autonomously, such as by furnishing a suitable default
display image for display 204.
When the touch screen is used as a conventional touch pad, finger
motions on the touch sensor (e.g., in a cursor positioning region,
which could identify a starting position) will typically cause
corresponding motions of a cursor on the main display, and clicks
of "mouse" buttons (or action control icons) 108 will typically
cause special actions, such as selections on the main display.
Tapping gestures may be interpreted as "mouse" clicks or other
special actions, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,591. Other
gestures may also be recognized, such as scrolling motions as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,052. The default display image may
include graphical icons to indicate special tapping or scrolling
regions on the touch sensor surface or the default screen image may
be a blank screen with only a manufacturer's logo.
In one embodiment, the cursor positioning region is denoted by the
absence of icons for actions, other than cursor positioning.
However, there are many different ways of identifying the cursor
positioning region on the touch screen, such examples include, but
are not limited to, a box could enclose the cursor positioning
region, a shaded region or icon could cover the entire cursor
positioning region, or an icon could be centered in an otherwise
blank area, thus labeling the blank area as a cursor positioning
region.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example default image for use when the touch
screen is operating as a conventional touch pad. FIG. 3 depicts the
image on the touch screen display as seen by the user. Image 300
includes arrow icons 302 and 304 indicating scrolling regions, an
icon 306 indicating a corner tap region that simulates a right
mouse button click, and an icon 308 which represents a logo for the
computer vendor.
Alternatively, computer system 100 of FIG. 1 can include a
secondary pointing device, such as an isometric joystick located in
keyboard 104 or an external mouse, which relieves touch screen 106
from the responsibility of functioning as primary pointing device
in addition to its role as an enhanced user interface device.
A conventional touch pad with default screen image is just one of
several general modes of usage that are envisioned for the touch
screen of the present invention. Subsequent drawing figures
illustrate several other usage modes that employ the touch screen
as a fully interactive input/output device to enhance the user
interface of the computer system. These general usage modes include
"iconic," "auxiliary," and "pop-up" touch screen modes, each with a
variety of possible applications. The same touch screen can operate
in each of these various modes, or other modes, at different times.
The different modes can also appear on the screen at the same time;
for example, icons can appear in an auxiliary or pop-up image, or
an auxiliary or pop-up image could be overlaid in a window on the
iconic mode image instead of fully replacing that image.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a first "iconic" usage mode of the
touch screen. In the iconic mode, the screen displays an image that
includes a number of small icons such as pictures or buttons. The
touch sensor operates as a touch pad pointing device in iconic
mode, in which finger motions and taps on the sensor are generally
interpreted the same as when the touch screen operates as a
conventional touch pad. The screen image in iconic mode may include
elements in common with the default image of FIG. 3, as the two
modes operate similarly. Iconic mode will generally display
additional icons relating to software that is running on the
computer and other aspects of the operation of the computer.
In the example image of FIG. 4, image 400 includes scroll arrow
icons 402 and 404 and a touch region, such as illustrated by corner
tap icon 406 in common with FIG. 3. Logo 308 has been omitted from
image 400 in this example to reduce clutter. In an alternate
embodiment, non-critical graphics from the default image could be
retained as a background image on which icons overlap; in yet
another embodiment, a different image such as static or dynamic
"wallpaper" may serve as a background image.
In example image 400, additional icons have been added to represent
various system status indicators and functions. Icon 410 defines a
second touch region or a corner tapping region to activate the
"back" function of web browsers and other software. As the user
enables and disables special tap regions and changes their assigned
functions, such as by using a software control panel, the tap
region icons such as icons 406 and 410 can appear, disappear, move,
and change in shape to reflect the current settings.
Icon 412 is a continuous display of the time and date. This icon
would normally have no effect on the interpretation of finger taps
within its region. Instead, a finger tap within its boundaries
would be interpreted as a simulated mouse button click, just as if
the tap occurred away from any icon. If every icon responded
specially to finger taps, the main function of tapping to simulate
a mouse click would become too inconvenient to use. A visual
convention may be used to indicate which icons represent
tap-sensitive regions; in the example of FIG. 4, dashed lines 426
and 428 are used to indicate these regions.
Icon group 414 includes the traditional set of status icons that
appear on modern portable computers, such as numeric keypad lock,
caps lock, scroll lock, hard disk activity, battery life, and
system power. By locating these system icons on the touch screen
display, the system designer eliminates the need for the special
dedicated LED or LCD status displays that are typically used in
prior art computers.
In some prior art portable computers, the dedicated system status
displays are situated so that they are visible even when the cover
of the computer is closed over the main display. The touch screen
of the present invention could similarly be situated so that all or
part of the screen image is visible when the cover is closed, for
example, by causing the touch screen to protrude from under the
cover or by cutting a notch in the cover over the location of the
touch screen. This arrangement would allow the user to monitor
battery recharging and other quiescent activities of the computer
system while the computer is not in use.
Icon 416 is an e-mail notification status icon; icon 416 may, for
example, change to a new shape or animated image to indicate that
e-mail has arrived. Icon 418 similarly notifies the user of
imminent appointments. These icons suggest a natural action that
could be taken when the user taps on the icons, such as opening the
associated e-mail reading or appointment scheduling software.
Because these icons are located nearer the center of the touch
sensing area and could easily be tapped by accident, icons 416 and
418 may be made sensitive to finger taps only when they have been
activated by some separate means such as pressing a special
function key on keyboard 104.
Icons 420 and 422 represent commands to select pop-up applications
on the touch screen. Icon 420 selects an application launcher. Icon
422 selects a calculator or numeric keypad. Like icons 416 and 418,
icons 420 and 422 may be made sensitive to finger taps only when
the touch screen is in the activated state.
Icon 424 represents the volume control for the sound system and
speakers of the computer. Icon 424 includes a visual slider and
"thumb." The position of the thumb on the slider reflects the
current volume setting. When the touch screen is in the activated
state, finger motions within the volume control region can move the
thumb to a different location on the slider to adjust the volume
level. When the touch screen is not in the activated state, icon
424 is a visual display only and has no special interpretation when
touched. Similar slider controls may be provided to adjust other
system parameters such as the sound balance among several sound
sources, the brightness and contrast of the main screen or touch
screen, or the power management strategy.
The icons depicted in FIG. 4 are illustrative of the types of icons
that can be provided on the iconic mode screen. FIG. 4 does not
necessarily represent the ideal selection or placement of icons.
Human-factors testing may be used to decide on the number, types,
and placement of icons in the default iconic screen. Also, it may
be advantageous to allow the user to select which icons are present
and to rearrange the icons, possibly using a software control
panel. Because the number of candidate icons likely exceeds
available space, it may be desirable to provide multiple iconic
screen layouts selectable by some means such as in the software
control panel or by tapping on an icon on the touch screen.
It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that many other
images, logos, status indicators, command buttons, controls, and
other types of icons can share the touch screen display in the
iconic usage mode. These icons can be purely display indicators, or
they can indicate control regions that respond specially to finger
motions and/or finger taps, either at all times or only when the
touch screen has been activated in a special way. Some icons may be
built-in by the system designer, such as the system status icons or
the logo of the computer manufacturer. Other icons may be created
and maintained by application software running on the computer,
such as an e-mail notification icon.
The activated state of the touch screen may be indicated by a
visual convention. FIG. 5 illustrates the touch screen image of
FIG. 4 modified to indicate the activated state of the touch screen
using a dashed line around each icon that is touch-sensitive in the
activated state. In image 500, dashed lines 516, 518, 520, and 522
have surrounded certain icons to indicate that finger taps in the
regions near these icons will be interpreted as special commands to
the icons. Similarly, dashed outline 524 indicates that finger
motions in the volume control region will adjust the setting of the
control. Outline 512 for the time and date icon has become dashed
to indicate that a tap on this icon will activate a special
function such as setting the time or accessing a world clock.
Outline 514 for the system status icons remains solid to indicate
that, in the example of FIG. 5, these icons have no special tapping
functions in the activated state. Dashed lines 526 and 528 remain
to indicate that the corner tap regions continue to have their
special tap interpretations when the touch screen is in the
activated state. Many other visual conventions would serve equally
well to indicate touch-sensitive icons, such as solid or colored
lines, colored or inverted backgrounds, changes in brightness or
coloration of the activated icons, changes in shape or animation of
the activated icons, or other well-known conventions for
highlighting a portion of an image.
The example of FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates the same set of icons in
the activated and unactivated state. However, activation of the
touch screen could also create additional icons that are not
present, for example to reduce clutter, when the touch screen is
not in the activated state. Existing icons could also be removed or
rearranged, although to avoid confusion, this could be done only to
replace icons not useful in the activated state, such as icon 414
of FIG. 4, with other icons that are most useful when activated,
such as icons similar to icons 420 and 422.
There are many possible alternative mechanisms for the user to
signal the activation of touch screen icons. In the simplest case,
the icons are either always inactive or always active for tapping
or motion commands. The corner tapping and scrolling region icons
302, 304, and 306 of FIGS. 3 and 402, 404, 406, and 410 of FIG. 4
are examples of icons that are active at all times. The logo icon
308 of FIG. 3 and system status icons 414 of FIG. 4 are examples of
icons that are inactive at all times. For simple touch screen
images like that of FIG. 3, all icons may fall into these simple
categories and no overt activation mechanism is needed. For more
elaborate touch screen images like that of FIGS. 4 and 5, an overt
activation mechanism is necessary for those icons that must respond
to touch but cannot reasonably be made touch sensitive at all
times.
In an illustrative embodiment, a key on the main keyboard 104 of
computer system 100 of FIG. 1 is designated as the touch screen
activation key. FIG. 6A illustrates a portion 600 of the keyboard
featuring several keys. Most keys of the keyboard, such as letter
"Z" key 602, have preassigned functions that do not overlap well
with touch screen activation. Even the existing shifting keys such
as shift key 604, control key 606, and Alt key 614 are not suitable
because they are often pressed in conjunction with mouse clicks in
application software for features such as extending selections;
hence, it is desirable for the user to be able to tap normally on
the touch sensor to simulate a mouse click while these shifting
keys are pressed.
Function or "Fn" key 608 is common on the keyboards of portable
computers. This key, when held down, changes the interpretations of
various other keys to perform special control functions. For
example, in one portable computer, the arrow keys change to screen
brightness controls, certain letter keys change to become a numeric
keypad, and various other keys change to control the external video
and various other functions. The alternate "Fn" functions of the
various keys are often indicated by blue writing next to the white
writing indicating the primary function of a key. Because the "Fn"
key is often absent on desktop computers, software typically does
not give special interpretations to mouse clicks in conjunction
with the "Fn" key. The usage and functionality of "Fn" key 608
coincides well with the function of activating the touch screen. In
one illustrative embodiment, holding down the "Fn" key causes
various icons on the touch screen to be activated with visual
feedback as shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the normal action of
redefining various keys of the main keyboard. Releasing the "Fn"
key causes the touch screen to revert to its pointing device usage
at the same time as the keys of the main keyboard revert to their
primary functions.
If "Fn" key functions are indicated by a color code (such as blue
writing), this color code can be employed on a color touch screen
for extra mnemonic effect. For example, blue outlines or coloration
can be used on the icon itself or in a background or outline to
indicate those icons whose behavior will change when the touch
screen is in the activated state. The outline or background could
then change from blue to white when the touch screen is activated,
signifying that the icons are now sensitive to touch.
Computers intended for use with the Microsoft Windows.RTM.
operating system often include a "Windows" key 610. The "Windows"
key also changes the interpretations of various other keys on the
computer keyboard while it is held down. The "Windows" key is
another candidate for a touch screen activation key with semantics
similar to those disclosed for the "Fn" key. Those practiced in the
art will recognize that certain other keys that appear on some
portable computer keyboards, such as the "AltGr" key, may also be
suitable candidates for a touch screen activation key.
In an alternate embodiment, a new key 612 can be added on or near
the keyboard to serve as a dedicated touch screen activation key.
Key 612 could operate as an activation shift key for which the
touch screen is activated for the duration that the key is held
down. Or, key 612 could operate as an activation prefix key for
which the touch screen is activated after the key is struck and
until an icon is tapped. In yet another embodiment, key 612 could
operate as a toggle key that alternately activates and deactivates
the touch screen each time it is struck. Any of these schemes or
others would work, but it may be advantageous to use an existing
key such as "Fn" key 608 or "Windows" key 610 instead of a
dedicated key 612. Using an existing key simplifies keyboard design
and is more familiar to users accustomed to standard keyboards.
However, it may be advantageous to label the existing key with an
icon or lettering to indicate its dual function as a touch screen
activation key in addition to its normal label, as illustrated by
key 616 of FIG. 6A.
Many other touch screen activation mechanisms are possible
alternatives to a keyboard key. In one embodiment, an additional
mouse button is provided adjacent to buttons 108 of FIG. 1 to
activate the touch screen. Alternatively, a special touch sensitive
region or second touch sensor could be provided that activates the
touch screen when touched. FIG. 6B illustrates one possible
arrangement of such a button or touch sensor. Toroidal button or
touch sensor 632 surrounds all or part of the touch screen 630.
Toroidal button or sensor 632 is distinct from conventional "mouse"
buttons 634 and 636. In one usage, the toroidal button would
activate the touch screen when touched or pressed. Alternatively,
the touch screen icons could remain active except when toroidal
button or sensor 632 is touched or pressed. This latter usage may
be advantageous since the user can be expected to keep the hand
near the keyboard or near conventional buttons 634 and 636, and
therefore also near sensor 632, during conventional operation of
the computer when touch screen 630 is mostly likely to be operated
unconsciously as a pointing device.
Another possible activation mechanism is to provide a region on the
touch screen which is always active, and in which finger taps are
interpreted as a signal to enter or toggle the activated state of
the touch screen. A software control panel could offer the
activation function as one of the possible functional assignments
of corner tap regions 406 and 410 of FIG. 4.
Yet another mechanism is for the user to click on a soft button or
icon on the main display to activate the touch screen. Numerous
other activation mechanisms are well known that could serve for
touch screen activation, such as finger motion gestures, voice
commands, foot switches, retinal gaze tracking, etc. Software
applications that make use of the touch screen can offer
additional, application-specific activation mechanisms.
In yet another embodiment, icons are individually activated by
being touched in a special way instead of by an overall touch
screen activation state. For example, single taps near an icon
could be interpreted as normal mouse clicks but rapid double taps
could trigger the "activated" function of the icon. Alternatively,
touching an icon with multiple fingers, or hovering the finger over
an icon without touching the surface of the touch screen, or
holding the finger steady over an icon for a given duration, could
trigger the activated function of the icon.
Some touch screen technologies are sensitive to other objects, such
as a pen, pencil, or pointer, in addition to fingers. In such
devices, a finger tap could trigger an activated function while a
pen tap would be interpreted as a normal mouse click, or vice
versa. Or, a special button could be provided on the body of the
pen that triggers the activated function of an icon when
pressed.
It is also possible to provide several of these alternate
mechanisms at once. These multiple activation mechanisms could be
synonyms in that they all activate the same special function of
each icon, or different activation mechanisms could activate
different special functions of the icons. Multiple different
special functions should be used with caution because of the
likelihood of confusing the user.
With iconic screen images such as that of FIGS. 4 and 5, it is
desirable to include many small icons on the screen to provide
access to a maximum number of features. As shown in FIG. 7A, such
small icons 702 may be smaller than finger 700 and may be
completely obscured by the finger when the finger touches them.
Because the finger will cover the icon only momentarily, this
effect may not be a serious problem. However, various techniques
can be employed to solve the problem of obscuring small icons, and
in an illustrative embodiment the screen images are designed so
that the icons are either large enough to avoid being obscured, or
situated so that the user can operate them even when they are
momentarily obscured, or provided with a mechanism to eliminate the
problem of obscuring small icons.
FIGS. 7B-7E illustrate several such mechanisms. In the mechanism of
FIG. 7B, icon 710 expands whenever finger 700 passes over it. In
the mechanism of FIG. 7C, an image 722 of the icon or image area
under the finger is displayed in "callout" 720 adjacent to finger
700 or elsewhere on the screen. In the mechanism of FIG. 7D, finger
700 selects not the icon directly under the finger, but the icon
730 under a "hot spot" 732 displaced enough from the center of
finger contact to be visible around the finger. As shown in FIG.
7D, a crosshair may help to visually indicate the hot spot 732 to
avoid confusion. The mechanism of FIG. 7E uses the property that
certain touch sensing technologies, such as that disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,543,591, compute the centroid of all finger contact on
the sensor. With such sensors, the user can select icon 744 without
obscuring it from view by placing two fingers 740 and 742 on either
side of the icon instead of a single finger directly on the icon.
Crosshair 746 may be provided to make the centroid of finger
contact more visually apparent.
FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a second "auxiliary" usage mode
of the touch screen of the present invention. In the auxiliary
mode, the touch screen displays an auxiliary image specific to a
software application that is running on the computer. In an
illustrative embodiment, a software application displays its
auxiliary image only when it has the "input focus" as determined by
the operating system. In most computer operating systems,
application windows on the main display screen are given the focus
based on which was last clicked by the pointing device, or on which
currently contains the cursor. The auxiliary image for an
application may include graphic icons and buttons that may or may
not coincide with those of the iconic mode. Alternatively, the
auxiliary image may be a pure image, such as an advertisement or a
set of notes accompanying a presentation.
In the auxiliary mode, finger motions and/or finger taps would
typically be given a special interpretation by the application. If
the application treats finger motions specially, the touch screen
will be unable to move the cursor on the main display as long as
the application imposes its special interpretation on finger
motions. This may be acceptable if an alternate cursor motion
device or mechanism is present, or if the application does not need
a cursor, or if the special interpretation lasts for only a brief
duration. Alternatively, if the application treats only finger taps
specially, then the user can use the touch screen to move the
cursor on the main display, but the user must use the "mouse"
buttons 108 of FIG. 1 to click or select items on the main display.
In another alternative, the application may display an auxiliary
image but allow the touch screen to interpret finger motions and
taps in the same way as the iconic mode. In this latter
alternative, if the auxiliary image includes buttons or control
icons, then a special activation mechanism must be used to activate
the buttons or controls as disclosed for the iconic mode.
Applications may divide the screen into regions or icon image areas
that interpret finger motions or taps in different ways, analogous
to the special treatment of taps in corner regions 406 and 410 and
the special treatment of finger motions in scrolling regions 402
and 404 of FIG. 4. In an illustrative embodiment, each application
may choose any of these alternatives, or other alternatives, for
its auxiliary screen as best fits the needs of the application.
In the example of FIG. 8A, the touch screen illustrates an
auxiliary image for a slide presentation. Slide presentation
software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint.RTM., typically uses the
entire main display of the computer in full-screen mode to display
the current slide. Because the main display may be shown to an
audience or linked to a video projector, the main display must show
only the slide image itself. The touch screen displays an auxiliary
image 800 with information useful to the presenter. Region 802
displays the slide number, title, and speaker's notes. Region 804
displays the title or preview image of the next slide, and region
806 similarly displays the previous slide in the presentation.
Regions 804 and 806 are finger-tappable buttons to advance the
presentation forward or backward by one slide. Region 802 is
configured so that a finger tap brings up a menu of additional
presentation options; in one example presentation software system,
tapping on region 802 would simulate a right mouse button click.
The slide presentation software would be configured to display
auxiliary image 800 only during a full-screen presentation. At
other times, the software would allow the touch screen to revert to
iconic mode with the touch sensor serving its usual role as a
pointing device to operate the software.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the slide presentation
application of FIG. 8A is representative of a class of applications
that can benefit from leaving the entire main display free to
display dedicated images. Another example is a software player for
DVD movies or videos. DVD players usually include controls such as
pause, reverse, fast forward, and chapter select. However, it would
be distracting to place these control icons on the main display of
the computer when a movie is playing. In the example of FIG. 8B,
the DVD player places a small control panel 820 on the touch
screen, reserving the entire main display for movie viewing.
Control panel 820 includes status icons 822 displaying track
information and timing, buttons 824 for operations such as stop and
fast forward, and volume control 826. During full-screen movie
viewing, buttons 824 and control 826 would respond to touch to
control the playing of the movie. When the DVD viewing software is
not in full-screen mode, the touch screen could be allowed to
revert to normal iconic mode, or control panel 820 could remain on
the touch screen display but with buttons 824 and controls 826
active only when the touch screen is in the activated state.
Similarly, many computer systems can play audio from music CD's.
Users typically listen to CD's as background music while doing
unrelated work on the computer. CD playing software typically
displays a control window very similar to that of the DVD software.
This window can obstruct the view of the application running on the
main display, and would usually be moved to a touch screen display
very similar to that of FIG. 8B.
FIG. 8C illustrates another application involving Internet web
browsers. Web pages often include advertisements along with the
main information of the web page. Some browsers and services offer
to filter out the advertisements to reduce visual clutter, but such
services encounter great resistance from web providers who depend
on advertising revenues. Instead, the browser or service could move
the advertisement image onto the touch screen where it remains
plainly visible but less obstructive to the main web page. In
addition, the touch sensor system could employ a validation
mechanism using any of numerous well known digital signature means
to allow the display of only those images which the user has
allowed or for which the advertiser has paid a licensing fee. In
FIG. 8C, image 840 includes advertisement image 842 drawn from an
unrelated web page displayed on the main display. In this
application, the touch sensor would normally operate as a pointing
device, but when the touch screen is in the activated state,
tapping on image 842 would instead be interpreted as a click on the
advertisement itself.
FIG. 8D illustrates yet another potential application involving
word processors, such as Microsoft.RTM. Word, and document viewers,
such as Adobe Acrobat.RTM.. These software tools often display
auxiliary information such as a table of contents or a set of
thumbnail page images to provide context along with the main page
or pages on display. This auxiliary information adds clutter and
takes up space that could otherwise be devoted to page viewing. In
the example of FIG. 8D, auxiliary information 862 has been moved to
touch screen 860, leaving more room on the main display for page
viewing. Corner tap regions 866 and 868 have been retained but
their functions have changed to functions better suited to the
document viewing application; region 866 selects the previous page
and region 868 selects the next page. Scrolling region 870 has been
retained from the default iconic screen, as scrolling is an
important function of a document viewer. When the touch screen is
in the activated state, tapping on any of thumbnails 864 would
cause the page viewer to display the selected page, and scrolling
region 870 scrolls thumbnails 864 within area 862 instead of
scrolling the document view on the main display.
Another class of applications that can benefit from the touch
screen in auxiliary mode is those applications that can benefit
from displaying additional or subsidiary information. Many computer
operating systems and software applications today provide pop-up
help that appears automatically on the screen when the cursor is
held still on an icon or button. The pop-up help displays a brief
explanation of the icon or button, allowing the user to know ahead
of time what will happen if the icon or button is clicked. Pop-up
help is usually restricted to brief one-line descriptions, as
larger automatic pop-up help windows would obstruct the display.
When large unsolicited on-screen help displays have been attempted,
as in Microsoft's animated paperclip assistant, users have often
found the help feature to be more distracting and obstructive than
useful.
According to the present invention, applications can display more
extensive pop-up help or other explanatory or subsidiary
information on the touch screen when the cursor covers an icon or
button on the main display. Because touch screen help text does not
obscure anything on the main display, it can be quite extensive,
and it can appear immediately without waiting for the cursor to
hold still over the icon for a period of time. Touch screen help
can also be offered for user interface elements that normally are
not well suited to pop-up help for visual design reasons, such as
the selections within pull-down menus.
FIG. 9 illustrates an example of subsidiary help text on the touch
screen of the present invention. When the cursor covers a user
interface element on the main display for which help is available,
the normal iconic or auxiliary screen image is replaced by a new
auxiliary image 900 that persists as long as the cursor remains on
the element on the main display. Image 900 includes help text 902
describing the object, in this case the "Format Painter" toolbar
icon or menu item of a document preparation tool. Because the user
will not necessarily notice that the standard iconic touch screen
image has been replaced, permanently active touch regions such as
corner tap regions 904 and 906 should be carried over from the
replaced image. The rest of the touch screen image is free for help
text or other subsidiary information. In the example of FIG. 9, a
button 908 is also provided that can be tapped to obtain more help.
Again, because the user may not be aware that such buttons have
appeared, button 908 should usually be sensitive to finger taps
only when the touch screen is in the activated state.
Some software applications already include detailed help text for
many user interface elements. This help text may be intended for
display when the user invokes an explicit context-sensitive help
command for the element. In the present invention, this
pre-existing detailed help text can be adapted for display on the
touch screen as well, possibly with little or no modification to
the application software itself.
All of the preceding examples have featured auxiliary screens tied
to a particular application. It is also possible for a particular
window or dialog within an application to have an associated
auxiliary screen. For example, the Open File command in most
applications brings up a characteristic dialog window on the main
display. This dialog includes a list of files and directories, a
space for typing in a file name, and various buttons for navigating
the file system. In many cases, the software application calls on
the underlying operating system to supply a standardized dialog for
choosing a file. An application, or the operating system itself,
could supply an auxiliary screen image with additional buttons,
controls, or displays to help the user select a file.
Some dialogs must interact with the main display image of an
application. For example, the text find and replace dialog of a
word processor typically must stay open as the user calls for
repeated searches and replacements in the document, but the dialog
tends to get in the way of the view of the document being searched.
Word processors employ elaborate heuristics to try to keep the
dialog box and the focus of attention within the document out of
each others' way.
FIG. 10A illustrates a better solution employing the touch screen
of the present invention. The find/replace dialog 1002 is displayed
on touch screen 1000, leaving the main display free to display the
document unobstructed. To aid user understanding, dialog 1002 is
designed to resemble a conventional dialog box with title bar 1004,
text entry areas 1006 and 1008, functional buttons 1010 and 1012,
and close button 1014. However, some of the conventional dialog
elements have been adapted to best suit the touch screen interface.
Functional buttons 1010 and 1012 are located in the corners of the
touch screen surface so that they can be made active even when the
touch screen is not in the overall activated state. If buttons 1010
and 1012 were drawn in the conventional way, similar to button 908
of FIG. 9, then it would be too confusing to the user for buttons
1010 and 1012 to be sensitive to taps except when the touch screen
is in the activated state. Similarly, close button 1014 is located
near the corner of screen 1000 so that it can safely be made active
at all times. Text entry areas 1006 and 1008 would be filled in by
the user at the beginning of the search operation, and would then
normally be inactive; tapping on them when the touch screen is in
the activated state could allow the search or replace text to be
changed. Because text entry on a dialog box is easier to understand
on the main display, it may be advantageous for dialog 1002 to
appear on the main display during entry of text into areas 1006 and
1008, and then to move to touch screen 1000 during the repeated
search operation. In addition or alternatively, a user command,
such as a gesture could be provided to move any dialog between the
main display and the touch screen at the user's discretion.
Similarly, many applications display "alert" dialogs, typically
appearing at unexpected times with brief text messages, to alert
the user of errors or other irregular events. Alert dialogs can
confusingly obstruct the view of the very operation that caused the
alert, and are another good candidate for moving to the touch
screen. Applications often call on standard operating system
services to display alert dialogs, so the task of moving alerts to
the touch screen can be accomplished in the operating system
without the cooperation of individual software applications.
FIG. 10B illustrates yet another application of a touch screen.
Many computer games use the mouse as a game controller device in
lieu of joysticks or other specialized game controller hardware. A
touch pad emulating a mouse serves as a passable game controller,
but often the touch pad can be made into a superior game controller
by adjusting its behavior to best fit a particular game.
Experiments with touch pads have shown that a touch pad
reprogrammed in this way can be an excellent game controller,
equaling or exceeding the performance of some dedicated game
controllers. However, with conventional touch pads it has been too
confusing to invisibly redefine the behavior of the touch pad for
each game. As shown in FIG. 10B, the touch screen of the present
invention solves this problem by displaying the control layout
established by the game. In this example, a flight simulator
displays an image 1030 including regions 1032 and 1034 similar to
conventional scroll regions to control the throttle and flaps, and
tap regions 1036 and 1038 to control the landing gear and change
the view presented on the main display. Each of these controls is
clearly marked by text or symbols on the touch screen to help the
user learn the controls.
To be effective game controls, regions 1032, 1034, 1036, and 1038
must be sensitive to touch at all times, without requiring the
touch screen to be in an activated state. The remaining area of
screen 1030 may be used for normal cursor motion. If screen 1030
includes many game controls, there may be insufficient area
remaining to support cursor motion. Depending on the game being
controlled, it may or may not be acceptable to omit the cursor
motion function. If cursor motion is required, one solution is to
invert the sense of activation so that the touch screen operates as
a normal pointing device only when it is in the activated state.
Another solution is to provide a small cursor control region, such
as region 1040, that operates on different principles from a
regular touch pad. Region 1040 could serve as a relative cursor
motion device, where placing the finger in the region and then
rocking the finger a small distance in any direction causes steady
cursor motion in the indicated direction. These or similar
mechanisms could be used in any auxiliary or pop-up screen that
must support cursor motion despite using most of the screen area
for other functions.
Many software applications provide drop-down menus or toolbars on
the main display to invoke various operations and commands of the
application. Another beneficial use of the touch screen of the
present invention is to move or duplicate some or all of these
menus and toolbars onto the touch screen. FIG. 10C illustrates an
example in which image 1060 includes icons 1062 drawn from a
typical toolbar. By activating the touch screen and tapping any of
these icons, the user can invoke the corresponding function in the
software application. Because these icons would appear in the same
relative location on the touch screen every time the application is
used, the user can learn their locations by feel and thus avoid the
distracting task of moving the cursor away from the natural focus
of attention and onto the menu or toolbar. Displaying toolbar icons
1062 on the touch screen allows the user to locate the icons in the
learning phase, before the locations of the icons are known by
feel.
Those practiced in the art will see that many other types of
applications can make use of auxiliary displays and controls on the
touch screen. For example, spelling and grammar checking software
could display lists of correction choices without obstructing the
text being reviewed. The set of examples disclosed and illustrated
here in no way limits the scope of applications that can benefit
from an auxiliary touch screen according to the present
invention.
FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a third "pop-up" general usage
mode of the touch screen of the present invention. In the pop-up
mode, the touch screen displays a special image much as in the
auxiliary mode. The pop-up mode allows all the same display
elements on the touch screen and all the same alternative
interpretations of finger actions on the touch sensor as in the
auxiliary mode. However, the pop-up image appears in response to a
user command or other event in the host computer and is not
associated with any particular software application on the main
display.
In the example of FIG. 11, the pop-up image is an application
launcher. When the application launcher is invoked, image 1100
replaces the previous image on the touch screen. Image 1100
includes various icons 1102 representing commonly used tools and
software applications on the computer. The set of applications
shown may be predetermined or may be chosen by the user. When the
user taps the finger on one of icons 1102, image 1100 disappears
and is replaced by the original touch screen image, and the
selected application software is launched. Typically, this
application would be a conventional software application such as a
word processor running on the main display of the computer, but
some of icons 1102 may represent system commands (such as shutting
down the computer), other tools (such as another pop-up application
on the touch screen), or links to additional application launcher
screens. The user can also tap on icon 1104 to exit the application
launcher screen without invoking any application.
Pop-up screens such as the application launcher of FIG. 11 may be
invoked by any of various well-known means for invoking
applications, such as a keyboard key, an icon like icon 420 or
corner tap region like region 410 of FIG. 4, or the "Start" menu of
Microsoft Windows.RTM..
Pop-up screens may be implemented as regular applications as viewed
by the operating system; in this case, the application would not
create a visible window on the main display, but it would create a
touch screen image using the same mechanisms that other
applications would use to create an auxiliary touch screen image.
In an alternate embodiment, pop-up screens like that of FIG. 11
could be implemented specially within the touch screen driver
software, or they could be implemented in the touch screen
controller hardware such as controller 216 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 12 illustrates a pop-up calculator application that operates
entirely within the touch screen. Image 1200 includes the familiar
numeric display 1202 and a matrix of buttons 1204 of a calculator.
The user taps on the button icons to operate the calculator in the
usual fashion. The user taps on button 1206 to close the calculator
and restore the touch screen to its previous image. The calculator
operates autonomously with respect to the applications visible on
the main display of the computer. This autonomous behavior is
particularly valuable when the calculator is being used in tandem
with an application on the main display, such as a database
application looking up numeric data. In the example of FIG. 12,
buttons 1208 and 1210 are provided to allow numbers to be pasted
back and forth between the calculator and the active application on
the main display.
Computer keyboards traditionally include a numeric keypad, but
portable computer keyboards rarely have room for a conventional
keypad. Portable computer system designers are forced to adopt
awkward solutions such as the "Fn" key. A pop-up numeric keypad
screen very similar to the calculator of FIG. 12 could serve the
role of the numeric keypad in a portable computer. This keypad
screen could be invoked by the "NumLock" key already provided on
computer keyboards for activating the numeric keypad.
Many computer operating systems provide a magnification tool to
assist the visually impaired. This tool typically creates a window
on the main screen that displays a magnified copy of the display
image surrounding the cursor. This magnifier window can obstruct
useful information on the main display. According to the present
invention, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, the magnifier can instead
take the form of a pop-up image 1302 on touch screen 1300, leaving
the main display undisturbed. Unlike the examples of FIGS. 11 and
12, the magnifier pop-up would probably be left displayed much of
the time that the computer is used. This pop-up application would
therefore leave the touch sensor operating as a conventional
pointing device; hence, corner tap regions 1304 and 1306 are
retained. When the touch screen is in the activated state, the
magnifier application can offer additional accessibility features
on the touch screen. In the example of FIG. 13B, in the activated
state, touch screen 1320 replaces image 1302 with an image of
controls such as magnification level adjustment 1322. Also, close
box 1324 appears in the activated state to allow the user to turn
off the magnification feature. In an alternate embodiment, in the
activated state, the magnifier activates features to assist
operation of small on-screen controls.
In an alternative magnification mode, the main display image is
reduced and moved to the touch screen display, and then a magnified
view of a portion of the image is shown on the main display. This
has the advantage that the main display is larger and likely to
have greater clarity and color depth than the touch screen, and
will thus be a better detail viewing device for the visually
impaired.
Debugging is a task that greatly benefits from a secondary display.
Computer programmers today sometimes attach a second display
monitor to their computers so that the program under debugging can
operate undisturbed on the first display monitor. These second
displays are costly and inconvenient, particularly on portable
computers. As shown in FIG. 13C, a debugger could be implemented
instead as a pop-up application on the touch screen of the present
invention, providing the benefits of a secondary debugging display
with no extra cost or bulk. In the example of FIG. 13C, image 1340
includes command buttons 1342 and source code display window
1344.
Users of ideographic languages like Chinese and Japanese typically
rely on input methods beyond the simple direct keystroke mapping
used in Western languages. A variety of input methods are in use
for ideographic languages, many of which require or benefit greatly
from providing visual feedback to the user through a special
window. This window can obstruct the application for which the
input is intended. According to the present invention, the input
method dialog can be implemented as a pop-up image on the touch
screen. One popular input method is handwriting recognition, in
which case the touch screen can also serve as the handwriting input
device for added benefit.
FIG. 14 illustrates an example Chinese handwriting entry system on
touch screen 1400. Handwriting entry area 1402 responds to finger
touch to enter a Chinese character. In this application, the touch
screen sensing technology advantageously senses pens as well as
fingers; although handwriting with fingers has been shown to work
quite well, many users prefer to write with a pen. Pen or finger
motions in area 1402 can leave an "ink" trail 1408 on the touch
screen display to allow the user to see the character as it is
being drawn. Once a character is drawn in area 1402, the software
attempts to recognize it as a valid Chinese character. The software
creates an ordered list of possible matches, which are displayed in
area 1404. The user can touch one of the match characters in area
1404 to "type" the selected character into the application running
on the main display. Area 1406 contains touch-sensitive buttons to
control the character recognition software in various ways.
Handwriting with "inking" is also useful in applications such as
signature capture, signature recognition, and sketching, all of
which are enhanced by the touch screen of the present
invention.
Another useful class of pop-up screen applications is in the area
of security. Portable computers are especially vulnerable to theft,
so many portable computers include some kind of password or
biometric interlock. For maximum effectiveness, the interlock
should validate the user's identity before the main processor of
the computer is even allowed to run. Because the main display is
operated by the main processor of the computer, the security
interlock would need to use alternate output mechanisms to interact
with the user. The touch screen of the present invention provides
an excellent user interface device for a security interlock. The
software that manages the interlock can be implemented in the touch
screen controller itself, or in another peripheral controller
within the computer. This implementation fits well with the
architecture of many portable computers today, where a peripheral
controller is already present in between the main processor and the
touch pad, and this peripheral controller is also already tasked
with power management and system reset control for the main
processor.
FIG. 15A illustrates a pop-up screen 1500 that appears when the
computer system is first switched on. The user must enter a correct
personal identification number (PIN) on keypad icons 1502 before
the main computer processor will operate. In an alternate
embodiment, the user enters a signature on the touch screen or uses
some other mechanism such as a smart card or fingerprint to
authenticate himself or herself to the system.
FIG. 15B illustrates an exemplary hardware architecture
implementing the security interlock of FIG. 15A. Computer system
1520 includes touch screen module 1522, which in turn contains the
hardware and control circuitry illustrated in FIG. 2. Touch screen
1522 communicates to peripheral controller 1524. Controller 1524
also manages other peripherals 1526 such as keyboards, external
pointing devices, and optional biometric authentication devices.
During operation of the computer, controller 1524 serves as a
conduit between touch screen 1522 and central processor 1528.
Central processor 1528 in turn operates other devices 1530 such as
the main display and hard drive. Power supply 1532 powers central
processor 1528 as well as all other components of the system. At
system start-up, power supply 1532 withholds power from processor
1528 until it receives a signal from controller 1524 by direct
connection 1534 stating that the user has been authenticated and
system start-up can proceed. Alternatively, controller 1524 holds
processor 1528 in reset, or it simply withholds access to the
keyboard, touch sensor, and other user interface peripherals, hence
rendering the computer system useless until the user is
authenticated. In yet another alternative, controller 1524 could
participate in higher-level security functions such as delivering a
decryption key for data stored on a hard disk.
The security interlock of FIG. 15A and the debugging screen
disclosed previously are examples of the general class of
applications that use the touch screen to communicate with the user
when the rest of the computer system is indisposed due to special
circumstances. Another example of this class would be the reporting
of information about hardware failures in vital system devices such
as the keyboard and the hardware of the main display.
Many other applications of pop-up screens are supported by the
touch screen of the present invention. For example, pop-up games
could be implemented entirely on the touch screen, leaving the main
display unobstructed.
Referring back to FIG. 2, touch screen assembly 200 may
advantageously include a backlight 206 or an equivalent. Backlights
draw more power than the other components that make up a touch
screen, so it is advantageous to switch the backlight off when it
is not needed. In an illustrative embodiment, backlight controller
212 is capable of dimming or extinguishing the backlight at the
request of controller 216 or host computer 214. Controller 216 and
host computer 214 may use heuristics to switch the backlight on and
off without explicit direction by the user. For example, the
backlight could be switched on if an application installs an
auxiliary screen image that replaces the default iconic image, and
then switched off if the touch screen goes a certain amount of time
without being used. Similarly, the backlight could be switched on
whenever the touch screen is in the activated state.
Switching on the backlight when the touch screen is activated has
the added benefit of reminding the user that the behavior of the
touch screen has changed. The backlight can serve more generally as
an attention mechanism for software applications and for the
operating system. For example, the backlight can be flashed on or
off to notify the user of the arrival of new e-mail or of an
impending appointment. Many computer operating systems use sounds
to alert the user of a variety of errors and events, but portable
computers are sometimes used in public places where the sound must
be turned off. The backlight can serve as a replacement alert in
this situation. This feature is especially useful when alert
dialogs are moved onto the touch screen from the main screen as
disclosed in relation to FIG. 10A. Alert dialogs obstruct the view
of the application data or interaction that may have raised the
alert; by moving the alert to the touch screen and calling the
user's attention to it by flashing the backlight, the present
invention can improve the effectiveness of alert dialogs throughout
the operating system.
If display 204 is a color display, then the system can flash
backlight 206, or color display 204 itself, in different colors to
signal different types of alerts to the user. In this alternative,
the use of color is analogous to the use of different sounds for
audible alerts, and the touch screen may implement a mapping from
standard sounds supplied by the operating system to standard color
alerts.
Conversely, in some systems backlight 206 may be omitted to save
space, power, or cost. On such systems, an alternate attention
mechanism may be provided to alert the user when the touch screen
is activated or changed to a new image with different active
buttons. Suitable attention mechanisms include audible alerts, an
icon or special cursor shape on the main display of the computer,
an LED mounted near the touch screen, or a tactile feedback
mechanism integrated with the touch screen.
The touch screen of the present invention must provide a mechanism
for application software running on touch screen controller 216 or
host computer 214 to create icons such as those shown on the iconic
screen of FIG. 4 and to create auxiliary and pop-up images such as
those shown in FIGS. 8-15. Various mechanisms are possible to
accomplish this.
If the software that manages an icon or pop-up screen resides in
touch screen controller 216, then the software has direct access to
touch sensor 202 and display 204 via controllers 208 and 210. The
software on controller 216 can interpose its own images into the
sequence of images it receives from host 214 for display. The
software on controller 216 can also intercept finger touch
information from sensor 202 before sending this information to host
214. By these means, icons and pop-up screens can be implemented by
software entirely in controller 216 with no participation by host
214. Depending on the nature of interface 218, controller 216 may
also be able to send keystroke information to host 214 to allow its
icons and pop-up screens to control host 214 by simulated
keystrokes.
In an illustrative embodiment, many icons, auxiliary screens, and
pop-up screens are implemented by various software applications
running on host 214. To coordinate access to the touch screen by
these various applications, host 214 includes driver software that
serves as a conduit between software applications and touch screen
controller 216.
FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary software architecture for the
touch screen of the present invention. Touch screen architecture
1600 consists of hardware layer 1602, driver layer 1604, and
application layer 1606. Those skilled in the art will recognize
that many other software architectures are equally able to
implement the user interface enhancements disclosed herein.
Hardware layer 1602 includes touch screen module 1610, which in
turn includes touch screen controller 216 of FIG. 2. Touch screen
module 1610 connects to peripheral controller 1612, which is
included in host computer 214 of FIG. 2. Peripheral controller 1612
would be a USB host controller subsystem in the case that the USB
protocol is used. Peripheral controller 1612 is operated by
hardware driver 1614. Hardware driver 1614 is supplied by the
operating system of the computer and is not particular to the
present invention.
Driver layer 1604 includes touch screen driver 1620, which
communicates with hardware driver 1614 to operate the touch screen
hardware. Touch screen driver 1620 communicates with pointing
device driver 1622. Pointing device driver 1622 is supplied by the
operating system and is responsible for operating mice and other
pointing devices. When the touch sensor is operating as a
conventional pointing device, touch screen driver 1620 converts
sequences of finger positions reported by touch screen 1610 into
motion signals similar to those produced by a mouse. Touch screen
driver 1620 also examines the finger presence indication from touch
screen 1610 to recognize finger tapping gestures. U.S. Pat. No.
5,543,591 discloses methods for computing tapping gestures on a
touch pad sensor. These motion and gesture signals are conveyed to
pointing device driver 1622 to cause cursor motion and clicking
compatible with a mouse or conventional touch pad.
Touch screen driver 1620 also operates application programming
interface (API) layer 1624. Software applications running on the
computer, represented in FIG. 16 by software applications 1640,
1642, and 1644 in application layer 1606, can use API 1624 to
obtain special access to the touch screen. API 1624 exports a
variety of touch pad and touch screen commands to the applications
in application layer 1606. These commands include requests for
information about finger and "mouse" button activities on the touch
sensor, as well as requests to override the cursor motion normally
conveyed to pointing device driver 1622 with different cursor
motion generated by the application based on finger movements. The
API commands also include requests to display or update an icon on
the iconic screen image, or to display or update a full-screen
auxiliary or pop-up image.
Touch screen driver 1620 is responsible for deciding among
conflicting API requests. For example, touch screen driver 1620 may
consult pointing device driver 1622 or other operating system
components to determine at all times which application, application
window, or dialog has the input focus. If applications 1640 and
1642 each post a request to display an auxiliary screen image, it
may be advantageous to have driver 1620 send the auxiliary image of
application 1640 to touch screen 1610 only when application 1640
has the input focus. Similarly, driver 1620 sends the auxiliary
image of application 1642 to the touch screen only when application
1642 has the input focus. If application 1644 has not posted an
auxiliary image, then when application 1644 has the input focus,
driver 1620 may displays a default iconic screen image similar to
that of FIG. 4.
When the user touches the touch sensor, driver 1620 forwards the
finger touch information to the application with the input focus if
that application has posted an auxiliary screen image that
overrides the default finger motion behavior. Similarly, driver
1620 forwards finger tapping information to the application with
the input focus if the application has posted an auxiliary screen
image that overrides the default finger tapping behavior.
Driver 1620 also monitors the keyboard, touch screen, or other
devices to implement the various touch screen activation mechanisms
disclosed in relation to FIGS. 6A and 6B. If the auxiliary screen
of an application is displayed, the driver conveys the activation
state to the application to allow the application to interpret
finger motions and taps correctly. If the default iconic screen is
displayed, the driver uses the activation state to decide whether
to forward motion or tapping information about the icon under the
cursor to the application that posted the icon.
Pop-up screens may be created using similar means to auxiliary
screens. However, for pop-up screens, driver 1620 may
advantageously maintain a concept of touch screen pop-up focus
distinct from the input focus maintained by the operating system
for applications on the main display. Driver 1620 must use some
reasonable rule to coordinate between multiple requests for
auxiliary and pop-up images.
Driver 1620 may implement some icons, auxiliary screens, and pop-up
screens entirely within the driver itself. The driver may include a
mechanism for associating auxiliary screens with pre-existing
applications that do not recognize API 1624. For example, if a
known pre-existing presentation software application has the input
focus, the driver could supply an auxiliary screen like that of
FIG. 8A. Driver 1620 would interpret taps in the special icons of
FIG. 8A by sending corresponding signals known to be recognized by
the software application, such as simulated keystrokes or mouse
clicks. Driver 1620 may also implement a mechanism to allow users
to associate special icons or auxiliary screens with pre-existing
applications. One such mechanism is a scripting language including
commands to display images and icons and to change the
interpretation of finger actions; scripts in such a language could
be written and associated with a software application without
modification to the application itself. Another such mechanism is a
graphical control panel similar to the resource editors present in
many interactive programming environments.
Driver 1620 may support a software control panel to allow the user
to customize the operation of the touch screen. This control panel
can include controls to choose, enable, disable, and rearrange the
various icons on the default iconic screen. This control panel can
also include controls to choose which touch screen activation
mechanism(s) to use, and which auxiliary and pop-up images to allow
access to the screen.
Driver 1620 may allow combinations of iconic, auxiliary and pop-up
images on the touch screen. For example, driver 1620 could
implement a concept of overlapping windows on the touch screen
whereby an auxiliary screen could overlap part of but not all of
the iconic screen image it replaces. One possible implementation of
this approach is to use the existing display driver architecture of
the operating system to manage the display of the touch screen. In
the most general case, the touch screen would be viewed as a second
display monitor by the operating system, and applications could
open windows and dialogs on this display just as they would on the
main display.
In an alternate embodiment, the touch screen would be treated
distinctly from the main display. Applications would be forbidden
from opening windows on the touch screen or operating the touch
screen by means other than API 1624. This approach is less flexible
but more appropriate, as the small size of the touch screen causes
it to behave in the computer/human interface as a different class
of device than main displays, even though the touch screen and main
display might both be implemented by similar raster LCD
technology.
While the present invention has been described with reference
exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in
the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope
of the present invention. In addition, many modifications may be
made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings
without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it
is intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for
carrying out this present invention, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *
References